Tilt-resisting fluorescent lampholder and mounting bracket



970 G. E. JOHNSON 3,524,053

TILT-RESISTING FLUORESCENT LAMPHOLDER AND MOUNTING BRACKET Filed Sept. 6, 1967 INVENTOR yaw/e55 :7 d/m/sa/v United States Patent 3,524,053 TILT-RESISTING FLUORESCENT LAMPHOLDER AND MOUNTING BRACKET George E. Johnson, Bronxville, N.Y., assignor to Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 665,796 Int. Cl. Hb 33/02 US. Cl. 240-5111 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tilt-resisting lampholder for a fluorescent lamp of the high output type which has a base and an upper housing extending upwardly therefrom through an opening in a support. The upper housing being slidable in the opening relative to the support and having a projection extending from a rear face thereof. The projection is located on one side only of the vertical center line of the upper housing and is positioned to engage with an edge of the support defining the opening therein when the lampholder is slidably moved to the rear thereof.

The present invention relates to fluorescent lampholders and it relates more specifically to fluorescent lampholders of the pedestal type which are provided with means for maintaining the lampholder in a predetermined angular relationship relative to a mounting panel or bracket.

Fluorescent lampholders of the pedestal type are conventionally used in connection with various kinds of fluorescent lamps and an example of such lampholders is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,716,739 issued Aug. 30, 1955. When mounted in a lighting fixture, two lampholders are required for each lamp, with the lampholders being in opposing relation and being spaced apart to receive and hold the lamp therebetween. The lampholders contain electrical contacts which engage with terminals at the ends of the lamp and the contacts of one of the lampholders are carried by a spring-biased plunger which can be forced rearwardly into the lampholder with a telescoping action to permit insertion of the lamp between the spaced lampholders. The fluorescent lamps may be four to eight feet in length and the exact length varies due to manufacturing tolerances. In order to make proper connection to the lamp terminals, the spacing of the lampholders should be maintained as accurately as possible and tilting of the lampholders under forces exerted thereon when the lamp is being or has been installed should be prevented. Otherwise, poor connections and improper operation of the lamp may result or the lamp may not be held in place.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescent lampholder which includes means for maintaining the lampholder in a predetermined angular relationship relative to a mounting bracket or panel and preventing tilting of the lampholder in a direction which would increase the distance between opposing lampholders.

A fluorescent lampholder made in accordance with the present invention permits installation of the lampholder in a supporting bracket or panel in the usual manner while maintaining the required spacing and preventing tilting of the lampholder relative to the supporting bracket.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are better understood and become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fluorescent lighting "ice fixture in which a fluorescent lamp is supported in operative position between two spaced lampholders embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front face view of a lampholder embodying the present invention mounted on a supporting bracket;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lampholder and bracket shown in FIG. 2 with the bracket being in partial section;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lampholder shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as seen from the rear; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bracket on which the lampholder of FIGS. 2 and 3 is mounted.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows an overhead lighting fixture 8 in which a conventional type of fluorescent lamp 9 is supported between a pair of spaced lanmpholders 10 and 10a of the pedestal type. The two lampholders are the same except that the lampholder 10a at one end of the lamp is provided with a telescoping plunger which is spring-biased outwardly or in a direction to engage with the end of the lamp and to urge the other end of the lamp into engagement with the other lampholder. The lampholders contain contacts which engage with terminals at the ends of the lamp. However, such contacts are of conventional construction and hence, need not be described in detail here. Also, insofar as the present invention is concerned, the lampholders embody the same construction and to avoid repetition, only one of the lampholders will be described here.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, each of the lampholders is mounted or supported on a bracket or frame 11, with the brackets being located at opposite ends of the fixture. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lampholder 10 consists of two parts 12 and 13 of insulating material which are joined to form an upper housing 14 having an enlarged base 15 at one end thereof. In this case, the lampholder contains fixed electrical contacts 16 which are accessible through an opening in the face thereof for engagement with terminals at one end of the lamp. In order to bring the lamp terminals into engagement with these contacts, the other end of the lamp is inserted in the spring-pressed plunger of the opposing lampholder 10a, and the plunger is forced rearwardly or into its holder so as to permit the other end of the lamp to be brought into alignment with the opening in the face of the first lampholder. It will be noted that this insertion of the lamp causes a force to be exerted against the outer end of the lampholder housing and such force may result in an outward tilting of the housing if the lampholder is not properly supported.

The upper housing 14 is generally rectangular in external cross-section, and the base 15 is also rectangular in outline. The upper housing and base have a common rear face 18, which is flat except for a positioning member orpin 20 which projects therefrom and which will be more fully described hereinafter. The base 15 which extends outwardly along the sides and front of the upper housing, forms shoulders 21 and 22.

The mounting bracket 11 may be made from one piece of metal which is stamped and formed into the desired configuration. The general configuration of the bracket 11 is that of an angle having a vertical web 25 and a horizontal web 26 at right angles to each other. A narrow flange 27 at one end of the web 25 may be provided for attachment to a fixture enclosure 28 which has a lower panel 29 extending above the lamp. A pair of wing-like extensions 30 project forwardly from the sides of the vertical web 25 and may be provided with holes 31 and 32 to receive fastening elements, such as studs or bolts, for attachment of the bracket to the sides of fixture enclosure.

The horizontal web 26 of the bracket has a rectangular opening 34 formed therein which extends forwardly from the vertical web 25 with the rear side of the opening being bounded by an edge 35 of the vertical web 25. As will be seen, this edge of the vertical web is positioned beneath and engages with the positioning pin 20 which extends from the rear face of the upper housing when the lampholder is mounted on the bracket. This prevents the lampholder from being tilted rearwardly by forces exerted on the upper housing as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3 and thus maintains the desired spacing between the portions of the lampholders in which the lamp engaging contacts are located.

The opening 34 in the bracket which is shaped toreceive the upper housing of the lampholder, is dimensioned to permit the upper housing and the positioning pin to pass therethrough. When the lampholder is mounted on the bracket, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper housextends through the opening in the bracket to a point beyond the outer surface of the horizontal web and the shoulders formed by the base are seated upon the opposite surface of the horizontal web. Where the fixture is an overhead or ceiling fixture, as shown in FIG. 1, the bracket is supported in the fixture enclosure with the horizontal web facing down and the upper housing of the lampholder extends downwardly therefrom.

The lampholder may be secured to the bracket in any suitable manner. In the form shown, the horizontal web of the bracket has a notch 40 formed therein which extends forwardly from the front edge of the opening therein to receive a fastening element or screw 41. The base of the lampholder has a recess 42 in its front face which registers with the notch in the horizontal web of the bracket. Intermediate the ends of the recess in the base of the lampholder, there is a slot 43 in which a threaded screw engaging plate 44 is located.

In mounting the lampholder on the bracket, the upper housing is slipped through the opening in the bracket with the base being seated on the horizontal web and with the positioning pin being above and in position to engage the upper edge of the vertical web of the bracket. This is accomplished by moving the lampholder rearwardly as far as possible in the bracket opening. The fastening screw is then inserted and tightened to hold the lampholder in place.

As shown, the positioning member or pin is spaced from the shoulders formed by the base by a distance equal to the thickness of the metal. However, this will depend on the location of the upper edge of the vertical web relative to the horizontal web and can be varied if desired. It will also be noted that the positioning member or pin which extends from the rear face of the lamp holder, is located at an off-center position relative to the vertical center line of the lampholder. The purpose of this is to permit the lampholders to be placed back-toback with minimum spacing in a fixture where two or more lamps are aligned in a lengthwise direction.

When the lampholder has been installed in the bracket, as described above, engagement of the positioning member or pin with the upper edge of the vertical web of the bracket maintains a right angle relation between the exposed upper housing of the lampholder and the horizontal web of the bracket and forces exerted on the lampholder, as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3 which would tend to tilt the lampholder rearwardly or outwardly are effectively resisted. Such forces are exerted on the lampholders during insertion of the lamp in the fixture and also, by the spring-biased plunger which engages with one end of the lamp.

It should also be noted that lampholders embodying the present invention can be installed in a mounting bracket or the like without changing existing procedures.

In this connection, it will be understood that although the brackets 11 have been shown as separate units installed at opposite ends of a fixture enclosure, the brackets may form integral parts of the fixture enclosure.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tilt-resisting lampholder for a fluorescent lamp of the high output type, said lampholder having a base and an upper housing extending upwardly from said base, the combination which comprises:

(a) a supporting member having an opening formed therein;

(b) said opening slidably receiving an upper housing of a lampholder and (c) a single projection integrally molded onto said housing and extending outwardly from a rear face thereof;

(d) said projection being located in its entirety at one side of a center line of said upper housing and engaging with an edge of the supporting member defining one end of said opening when the lampholder is moved to a rearward position therein.

2. In a tilt-resisting lampholder for fluorescent lamps of the high output type which comprises:

(a) an enlarged base having an upper surface;

(b) said upper surface of the base engaging with an opposing surface of a supporting member having an opening formed therein;

(c) an upper housing carried by and extending upwardly from the upper surface of the base; and

(d) a single projection integrally molded onto and extending outwardly from a rear face of said upper housing;

(e) said projection being located in its entirety on one side of a vertical center line passing through said upper housing and terminating at a lower end;

(f) said upper housing and projection passing through the opening in the supporting member and being slidable therein to a position where said lower end of the projection is in opposing relation to part of the supporting member defining said opening.

3. In a tilt-resisting lampholder as defined in claim 2 wherein:

(a) the lower end of the projection carried by the upper housing is spaced from the plane of the upper surface of the base by a distance equal to the thickness of the supporting member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner R. M. SHEER, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 240-9; 33955 

